Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection - PS3 - Preview

The fighting
world of Tekken has made its way to the PlayStation 3 console system, sporting
1080p graphics and a new playable character.

The question
that needs to be asked, though, is if this Dead or Alive-style title has what it
takes to create a viable fighting experience. Namco Bandai certainly thinks so,
and while the game has a very arcade/platform feel to it, there is no denying
that graphically the franchise has entered the next-gen era in some regards.

With 34
fighters available to use and three main modes of play – arcade, ghost and
versus – the game presents a button-masher’s dream. But the game still, in spite
of the three-dimensional characters, still has a two-dimensional feel to it. The
fighting is done on a 2D plane, with movement allowed either to move left or
right. The game controls are all tied into the four hot keys and the directional
pad.

There are
some clipping problems with the build sent to GameZone, and most of these are
linked to environmental objects. One fight took place in a nightclub setting and
when the opponent was knocked into a pillar (destroying the object), the dancer
behind the pillar was sporting some of the environmental elements until she
blinked out of existence.

Control-wise, the game follows the same format as other titles of this ilk. You
have the hot keys that determine what type of attack you will launch and the
d-pad will locate the attack. As in hands high, or a spinning leg whip low –
depending on the combination of buttons used. Each of the available fighters has
a style that is their own, which gives the game a nice feel as you play with the
different characters.

The game is
built for one to two players, either competing for the high score in a solo
outing or to emerge the winner in head-to-head battles.

The sound is
typical of the genre and previous Tekken fighters.

The controls
are easy to use and the options package is rudimentary at best. You can go into
the game shop and customize the characters a bit, but the real meat and potatoes
of this title is the combat. The effects, when the opponent is hit with a
devastating attack, work but are not spectacular. You won’t find yourself awed
by the blows or the attacks. String together combos and you might be able to
juggle your foe in the air, but for the most part, this game strings in some
repetitive action sequences – like the way the ground erupts when a character is
slammed into it.

The gameplay
also allows for juggling opponents – hitting them up into the air and then
timing the next attack to keep them up in the air and essentially defenseless.
This, though, is a harder task to accomplish and players will need to work at it
a bit to get the mechanics down.

Tekken 5:
Dark Resurrection
does a nice job of moving the franchise into the next-gen era.